Tablet making machine



July 18, 1939. c. H. WHITTEMORE I TABLET MAKING MACHINE Filed April 14, 1936 3 Sheets-Sheet l C. H. WHITTEMORE TABLET MAKING MACHINE Filed April 14, 1936 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 I N I EN TOR.

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Patented July 18, 1939 UNITED STATESPATENT FI E 1 Charles H. Whittemore, Elizabeth, N. 1.

Application April 14, 1936, Serial No. 74,254

7 Claims.

This invention relates to machines for making compound tablets, and has special reference to a machine of this class, particularly toa tabletmaklng machine adapted to assemble, in a single tablet, a plurality of chemically incompatible drugs separated in layers by inert material.

A further object of the invention is to provide, in such a machine, means whereby successive mold capacities may be varied at will, such means including adjustable sections on a cam for regulating the position of a series of lower plungers,

A further object of the invention is to provide a novel means for delivering the granulated materials separately to each mold at predetermined points in their paths.

A further object of the invention is to provide novel means whereby excess of the different materials above the predetermined amount will be separately removed from the top of the molds by means hereafter described.

In the drawings like reference characters indicate like parts in the several views, and

Figure 1 is a fragmentary side elevational view of the upper part of the improved machine, partly broken away and shown in section;

Figure 2 is a top plan view showing the three hoppers and upper punch holders;

Figure 3 is an enlarged top plan view of the cam track;

Figure 4 is a fragmentary sectional view of the cam track and lower plungers or punches extending upwardly into molds or die openings in the revolvable die holder, and

Figure 5 is an enlarged plan view of the feed 5 rack showing three compartments respectively for the inert and medicinal materials.

In the accompanying drawings, which show a preferred embodiment of the invention, the reference character Ill designates a standard having 40 a revolvable die holder ll mounted upon the upper end thereof, the die holder carrying an annular worm 'gear l2 engaged by a worm i3 on a shaft l4 that may be either power operated as at l5 or hand operated as at It. The shaft I4 45 is supported in a standard I! carried by the standard III.

A plunger carrier I8 is superimposed upon and revolves with the die holder II and carries a series of upper plungers or punches l! which are 50 normally held in an elevated position but are adapted to be depressed during part of the revolution of the carrier and die holder by means of a cam 20 and a wheel 2| carried by a support 22.

5 Another series of punches or plungers 23 are supported beneath the die holder II to travel therewith and the lower set of punches or plungers 23 ride on a cam track 24 shown more clearly in Figures 3 and 4.

The cam track 24 is of arcuate formation in 5 plan view, the illustration in Figure 4 being somewhat schematic and the upper face of the cam track 24 has a series of cam abutments 25,

24 and 21, of successively increasing heights with inclined approach walls 29. The cam heads 30A 10 each have an adjustable screw 30 projecting upwardly therethrough to adjust the position of the cam head at the crest of the cam abutments for contact with the lower ends of the lower set of plungers or punches 23 to compensate for 15 wear of the parts and to vary the throw of the lower set of plunger-s or punches. The upper ends of the lower set oi plungers or punches 2t project upwardly into molds or die openings ii'li as shown in Figure t, while the upper set oi" 20 plungers or punches M are adapted to project downwardly into the openings as required.

As shown in Figures 1 and 2, three separate feed bins 3t, 34 and 35 are supported adjacent and above the the insider it, and are adapted 25 to contain different ingredient materials. These bins deliver the materials through passages, such as shown at 36 to an arcuate feed rack 31 shown more clearly in Figure 5.

As shown in Figure 5, the feed rack til is pro- 30 vided with three compartments 38, 39 and 4!! beneath which the die holder constituting the mold plate ll passes. Each oi the compartments of the rack is formed by walls extending upwardly from the die plate, one ct the respective 35 compartments bein suhstantiaiiy W shaped in plan as shown at t it and constituting a guttering wait ti. he emulation flowing downwardly thrc h openings in the die plate to ill] the die. itnstiier wall of each of the com- 40 partments is a diagonal deflecting wall as shown at 41, 48 and remot'ahly attached. The defleeting wali 4i guides any excess material which may pass heme iii the wall 4| out through an Lie side wall of the feed rack and, following if rotating motion of the die holder is guided tin-ct; to compartment 33 through opening 44 for turther feeding. Deflecting walls 48 and 49 guide excess material which passes beneath the walls 42 and 43 respectively, into the 50 passages iii and 50 for separate collection and return to the bins it and 35. Dust bins 52 and 52A are formed heiiind walls 41, 48 and 49, to catch any mater. l which may pass beneath the deflecting walls ll, 43 and. 49 respectively, 55

The materials are fed from the bins II, It, and II into compartments II, II and 40 in teed-rack II for discharge therefrom into the molds or die openings II, the lower set of plungers It always r maining in the die openings for the collection of the materials. At the proper times, the upper set of plungers II is displaced relative to the die openings to permit charging of the latter. The com II and the wheel 2| eiiect raising and lowering movements 01' the upper set of plungers or punches II for cooperation with the lower set of plungers II for compacting the 'materials into tablet form in the known manner.

There has thus been provided a simple and efllcient device of the kind described and for the purpose specifled.

It is obvious that many minor changes may be made in the form and construction of the invention without departing from the material principles thereof. It is not therefore desired to conflne the invention to the exact form herein shown and described but it is desired to include all such as properly come within the scope claimed.

What is claimed is:

1. In a multiple-layer, compressed tablet making machine, a rotary die plate provided with a multiplicity of annular powder receiving openings extending through said plate, a plurality of feed bins, a feed rack resting on said plate and beneath which the openings travel in succession, partitions dividing said feed rack into a series oi. separated compartments, each communicating with and adapted to receive material from a respective feed bin, whereby successive charges of powdered materials may be delivered from each compartment to each opening, one wall of each compartment forming a levelling strip under which the openings pass after filling, and means for collecting separately the surplus materials.

3. As an element in a machine for producing multiple-layer, compressed tablets, a feed rack divided into a series of entirely separate compartments, each adapted to receive and to discharge a separate material in a given order into tablet forming chambers and means to carry oil separately the surplus material of each kind unmixed.

3. As an element in a machine for producing multiple-layer, compressed tablets, a feed rack divided into a plurality of entirely separate compartments, each compartment being subdivided by walls extending upwardly, one subdivision wall of each compartment being substantially V- shaped and constituting a guttering wall, and another oi. said subdivision walls of each compartment constituting a diagonal deflecting wall for guiding excess material from each compartment to a point where it may be collected unmixed.

4. As an element in a machine for producing multiple-layer, compressed tablets, a feed rack divided into a plurality of entirely separate compartments, each compartment being subdivided by walls extending upwardly, one subdivision wall 01' each compartment being substantially V-shaped and constituting a guttering wall, and another of said subdivision walls each compartment constituting a diagonal deflecting wall for guiding excess material from each compartment to a point 10 where it may be collected unmixed, and to form an isolated chamber for collecting mechanical seepage of any material not completely removed by the said deflecting wall.

5. In a compressed-table-making machine of the rotary die-plate type, adapted for producing multiple layer tablets. means for successively feeding different component materials into the dies, comprising a series of successive feed-rack compartments resting upon the rotary die plate, each such teed-rack compartment being subdivided by guttering walls adapted to guide the material for forming the tablets over the die openings and diagonally disposed deflecting walls for discharging and guiding excess material from each successive compartment to a diflerent point where each such material may be collected unmixed with any oi the other materials from each of the successive compartments.

6. In a compressed-t'ablet-making machine of I the rotary die-plate type, adapted for producing multiple layer tablets, means for successively feeding difl'erent component materials into the dies, comprising a series of successive feed-rack compartments resting upon the rotary die plate, each such feed-rack compartment being subdivided by guttering walls adapted to guide the material for forming the tablets over the-die openings and diagonally disposed deflecting walls for discharging and guiding excess materials from each successive compartment to a different point where each such material may be collected unmixed with any of the other materials from each of the successive compartments; and provided, in combination and cooperation therewith, with means for controlling the successive upward and downward movements of lower plungers to permit the dies to receive successively the predetermined measured quantities of each successive ingredient fed into each of the dies by each successive feed-rack compartment.

7. In a multiple-layer compressed tablet-making machine, in combination, a rotary die-plate provided with a multiplicity of annular powder receiving openings extending through said plate; a plurality of feed bins; a series of successive feedrack compartments resting upon the rotary dieplate, each such feed-rack compartment being subdivided by guttering walls adapted to guide the material for forming the tablets over the die openings and by diagonally disposed deflecting walls for discharging and guiding excess materials from each successive compartment to a diflerent point where each such material may be collected unmixed with any of the other materials from each of the successive compartments; a cam track adapted to engage slidably a procession of plungers engaged within the die openings oi. the rotary die-plate and moving therewith, and to impart to them a series of cycles of successively graduated reciprocating upward and downward motions, each successive cycle of such plunger movements being adapted to give to said plungers difl'erently graduated amplitude of motion; and provided, in combination and cooperation therewith, with means for controlling the successive upward and downward movem nts of said plungers to permit the dies to receive successively the predetermired measured quantities of each successive ingredient.

CHARLES H. WHIT'I'EMORE. 

